Bluff Park, Alabama Forum

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General Category >> Neighborhood Watch >> SCAM ALERT!!
http://bluffparkal.org/bpforum/YaBB.pl?num=1411400638

Message started by Officer Hale on 09/22/14 at 10:43am

Title: SCAM ALERT!!
Post by Officer Hale on 09/22/14 at 10:43am

SCAM ALERT!
Here are 2 recent scams reported to Hoover Police.

1. “Warrant For Your Arrest Scam”: This involves a person calling to tell you that they are a law enforcement officer with a local agency. They inform you that you have a warrant out for your arrest because you either missed a court date on a ticket or a “red light camera” caught your vehicle running a red light and you missed the court date on that ticket.

Criminals will use different versions of this basic idea. Another example is one claiming to be an IRS agent conducting an “audit”. He sounds very official, and even gives a phony “badge” number. He said that the person owed about $2500 in back taxes, and if he didn’t pay, then local law enforcement will be contacting him. Obviously, this is not how the IRS operates. If you get this type of call, hang up. If you have any questions about your taxes, YOU call the IRS directly to inquire.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about the warrant process. If you do have an outstanding warrant (in Hoover for example) you will be sent notification through the mail regarding the missed court date and what you need to do & where you need to get it taken care of. You might even receive a phone call from the court or one of our Warrant Officers. However, they will only inform you of the warrant (what it is for, court date missed, warrant recall, etc.) and the steps you need to take to get it resolved. They will NEVER SOLICIT MONEY OR PAYMENT OVER THE TELEPHONE! If you ever receive a phone call like this, and you are not comfortable with the situation, simply hang up and call the Hoover Police Department (822-5300) or Hoover Municipal Court (444-7500) to verify if you have an outstanding warrant or not. Just like with any other scam, don’t ever give out any personal information over the telephone. Click here for the Hoover Municipal Court website to see more info on the warrant process:
http://www.hooveral.org/Index.aspx?NID=235

2. “Phony Rental Property Scam”: This involves the suspect going to legitimate real estate websites and copying that information. They then post that info to classified sites (Craigslist, Trulia, etc.) as a “home for rent”. They tell the prospect to look at the potential rental home, and then have them send wired CASH payments (Western Union, Green Dot, etc.). Of course, none of these properties are for rent. The “renter” never met the “owner” face to face. If you are in the market to rent a property and the “owner” wants you to send cash via Western Union, be aware that it could be a scam. Do your homework! Remember: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT USUALLY IS!!!!

On another note, I also am responsible for the Department's Social Media. That is the most up to date information that you can get.
www.facebook.com/HooverPD
Twitter: HooverPD